Ancient cultures and the mythological texts originating from them have prominent basis on gender roles. Throughout The Ramayana by Valmiki and The Creation of the Universe and Human Beings by Lui An evident gender roles set for men and women remain consistent. Research about the Hindu faith and the goddesses they worship clearifies the Ancient Indian values Valmiki’s The Ramayana symbolizes. Throughout The Creation of the Universe and Human Beings and research regarding the Yin and Yang a parallel to gender roles in Ancient Chinese culture is evident. Connections between ancient cultures and mythological texts such as The Ramayana and The Creation of the Universe and Human Beings provide a deeper understanding of how each gender is viewed and
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Nu Kua is the explanation for women's connection to fertility and devotion to her family. In Donna Rosenberg’s, World Mythology An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics, Nu Kua is “a Great Goddess or Mother Goddess….[who] creates human beings” originating females bearing children (Rosenberg 324). The human beings become Nu Kua children and as Kung Kung destroys the world her children created Nu Kua “decided that she had to act quickly if she hoped to save any of [her] children” and she worked tirelessly to repair their broken world (Rosenberg 327). Through Nu Kua’s devotion to saving her children; the female role of caretaker is created along with women’s duty to bear children for her husband and devote her life to her family. Similarly, P’an Ku becomes the reasoning men are responsible for providing for his family. As P’an Ku became the first living being he realized no life would exist without the separation of heaven and earth so, “year after year P’an Ku...never stopped pushing the earth lower...and he never stopped pushing the heavens higher” (Rosenberg 328). P’an Ku’s vigorous manual labor created the possibility for life as seen in Ancient Chinese culture where men worked as slaves, farmers, and artisans …show more content…
Male and Female roles in Ancient Chinese culture are parallels to Yin and Yang’s role in The Creation of the Universe and Human Beings. In Fuqin Liu and Stevan Harrell’s, Exploring Epistemological Implications of the Yin-yang Theory, the hierarchy of men in Ancient Chinese culture is seen “In the yin-yang dualism, yin often represents a lesser power, and yang a greater power, but both are necessary for the functioning in any system,” (Lui, Harrell 10). As yin and yang separated into their female and male forms and functions the yang “drifted upward in Heaven and became one with it” painting a visual of the greater standard men were held to (Rosenberg 325). Men were looked upon to become scholars, rulers, and the head of their household. The “Yang is the male principle - light, bright,...aggressive, and warm” (Rosenberg 324). An’s use of “light” and “bright” to depict the male essence symbolizes the wisdom and guidance they were expected to provide. Just as humans look up to the heavens for wisdom and guidance males were looked upon for the same in Ancient Chinese culture. Contrastingly, a women’s sole purpose was to support her husband as seen when “Yin gathered into herself…[and] sank downward into the earth” becoming
Nu Kua is the explanation for women's connection to fertility and devotion to her family. In Donna Rosenberg’s, World Mythology An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics, Nu Kua is “a Great Goddess or Mother Goddess….[who] creates human beings” originating females bearing children (Rosenberg 324). The human beings become Nu Kua children and as Kung Kung destroys the world her children created Nu Kua “decided that she had to act quickly if she hoped to save any of [her] children” and she worked tirelessly to repair their broken world (Rosenberg 327). Through Nu Kua’s devotion to saving her children; the female role of caretaker is created along with women’s duty to bear children for her husband and devote her life to her family. Similarly, P’an Ku becomes the reasoning men are responsible for providing for his family. As P’an Ku became the first living being he realized no life would exist without the separation of heaven and earth so, “year after year P’an Ku...never stopped pushing the earth lower...and he never stopped pushing the heavens higher” (Rosenberg 328). P’an Ku’s vigorous manual labor created the possibility for life as seen in Ancient Chinese culture where men worked as slaves, farmers, and artisans …show more content…
Male and Female roles in Ancient Chinese culture are parallels to Yin and Yang’s role in The Creation of the Universe and Human Beings. In Fuqin Liu and Stevan Harrell’s, Exploring Epistemological Implications of the Yin-yang Theory, the hierarchy of men in Ancient Chinese culture is seen “In the yin-yang dualism, yin often represents a lesser power, and yang a greater power, but both are necessary for the functioning in any system,” (Lui, Harrell 10). As yin and yang separated into their female and male forms and functions the yang “drifted upward in Heaven and became one with it” painting a visual of the greater standard men were held to (Rosenberg 325). Men were looked upon to become scholars, rulers, and the head of their household. The “Yang is the male principle - light, bright,...aggressive, and warm” (Rosenberg 324). An’s use of “light” and “bright” to depict the male essence symbolizes the wisdom and guidance they were expected to provide. Just as humans look up to the heavens for wisdom and guidance males were looked upon for the same in Ancient Chinese culture. Contrastingly, a women’s sole purpose was to support her husband as seen when “Yin gathered into herself…[and] sank downward into the earth” becoming